Bottle-capping machine.



R. L. SHRINER. BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, 1902.

Patented. I Nov.' 2,I 1909.

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BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, 1902.

Pa'ante Nov. 2, 1909.

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nnirnn srarns ROBERT LfSHRINER, OF EW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD STOPPER COMPANY,

oF JERSEY CITY, NEWJERSEY, A CORPORATION 0E NEW JERSEY.

i 'BoTTLEcAPPING MACHINE..

bottle capping machines, that is to say, Ina-' chines adapted, to bend the downwardly eX- tending portion or portions of a bottle cap into engagement with the neck of a bottle or a shoulder thereon.

It is the object primarily of the present invention to provide a machine of this class which may be relied upon to properly and securely cap bottles, notwithstanding varia-- tions in the size of their necks or irregularities in the contour or shape thereof.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is an elevation of a capping machineembodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same, partly in section, looking toward the right of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is'a plan view of the machine, the base plate of the machine being omitted. Fig. 4r is a`sectional elevation, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 4 of Fig. 2, of that part of the machine known as the machine head, which is vertically movable and which contains a pressing head or presser for yieldingly -engaging the end ofa bottle and a cap thereon and also devices, movable toward the bottle neck, for bending the depending portion or portions of the cap, while so engaged by the presser, into .engagement with a shoulder upon the bottle neck. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section, onv the line 5 of Fig. 4. F ig. 6 isa sectional elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the -lower portion of the machine head, presser, and bending devices shown in Fig. 4, the machine head being lowered somewhat from the position shown in Fig. 4 the presser being broken away at its lower end. to illustrateits construction more clearly, that it is slitted longitudinally so as to provide a central core and a plurality of ribs or segments radiating therefrom and inte'- gral therewith, said core being shown by hatched lines. Fig. 7 is a View similar to Fig. 6; illustrating the same parts with the machine head, however, lowered still farther specification' ofvtettervs Patent.

Application filed .T une 5,

namely, l

i and with the bending devices moved in wardly toward the bottle neck'into position to bend the depending portion or portionsl of the cap into engagement with the shoulder on the bottle neck; and F ig. 8 is an elevation of the bottle neck with a cap secured toI the Fig. 7.

a tubular casing or Standard, mounted on a suitable base 2,' and 3 a bottle support adjustably mounted in a bracket 4 projecting 'from said standard.- Bracket 4 is provided with a set screw 5 (see Fig. 1) thestem 6 of the bottle support Band. thus locking said support in any position to which it may be adjusted vertically, the purpose of this adjustable mounting of the bottle support being to accommodate bottles which vary in length or height.

lVithin the tubular casing `or standard 1, is mounted a vertically movable rod 7 which is normally maintained in its lowermost position`by a spring 8 encircling the lower contracted portion of the rod and connected with the tubular casing or 'standard l by a pin 9 secured to said casing or standard and passing through a slot 10 in the rod 7, as illustrated in Figf2. At its lower end the rod 7 is connected with a treadle l1 fulcrumed in the base 2 of the machine, and at its upper end said rod has secured to it a machine head 12, which, onthe depression of theI treadle l1, is lowered into position for engagement with the neck of a bottle resting upon support 3.

The machine head 12 contains an endwise the opposite ends 14,15,of the machine head, and which is normally held in its lowermost position in the machine head by a spring 16 bearing against the upperend 14 of the niachine head and against a shoulder or enlargement 17 atthe lower end of said rod. rIhe rod 13 carries at its Ilower end, a bottle or integral with said rod 13 and having a preferably concave lower face for engagement with the upper end or lip of a bottle neck and a metal cap, as 19, resting thereon and'which is secured to the bottle neck by 'having its depending portions or legs 20 bent inwardly into engagement with a shoulder-21 upon the bottle neck (see Fig. 8).

Normally, the machine head 12 is in its PatentedNov. 2, 1909. 1902. Serial No. 110,265.

Referring to said drawings, 1 represents i for engagingmovable rod 13 passing through openings in presser or pressing head 18 rigidly xed to neck thereof, after the manner illustrated in j eoy elevated tir-uppermost position, as illustrated lin Figs. l, 2 and 4. vWhen a bottle placed upon the bottle support 3 with a cap l) upon the upper end thereofready to be secured in position upon the neck of the bottle, the treadle 11 will be depressed by the operator, thus lowering the machine head 12, so that the pressing head 18carried by rod lwill first engage the caplt) after the manner illustrated in Figs. 4 andA 6, and finally (the downward movement of the machine head being continued from this position) force the cap 19 downiupon the bottle neck, with the result that the lips of the bottle will become embedded in the cork or other yielding sealing disk within the cap 1t), as illustrated in Fig. 7. It will, ot' course, be understood that during the downward movement of the machine head from the position in which it is shown in Fig. 4 to that in which it is shown i 1n Fig. 7, the pressing head or presser 18 will g i capping of bottles by machinery is that tlie` be arrested in its downward iiiovementby the bottle and caused to move upwardly through the machine head against'l the pressure of its spring 1G.

)Vith the presser 18 in the position shown in Fig. 7, the bottle and its cap 1U are held securely by the presser 18 and support 23 against. yturningr or other movement, and while they are thus held' the downwardly projectingportions or legs :20 of the cap 1t) are bent inwardly into locking engagement with the shoulder 21 on the bottle neck by bending mechanism which will now be described. Thisvbending mechanism consists of a series of rolls 30 journaledin the lower ends of levers 31 pivoted in arms 32 depending from a rotary cari'ier 33 through which the presser rod 123 passes, and which is sup ported, upon the lower end of the machine head by a ring 34 secured to the n'iachine head and having a horizontal flange 85 engaging the under side of the carrier 33. The

carrier is provided with gear teeth engaged by a pinion 3() upon a'v vertical shaft 37, which is provided at its lower lend with a bevel pinion 88 engaged by a bevel pinion 39 secured to a constantly rotated shat't 40 provided with a pulley connected with a suitable source of power (not shown).

Vhile the machine head is in its elevated position (see Figs. l and .2) and also while the presser 18 is moving downwardly with A,it,', the levers 31 and cap bending rolls 550 are spread outwardly or away from the bottle neck, as shown. When, however, during the downward movement of the machine head, the downward movement of the presser is arrested by the bottle as betere stated, and said presser is caused thereby to move upwardly through the machine head, the lower ends of the bending levers 31 and the rolls 3Q thereon are gradually moved inwardly toward-each other and toward the bottle neck until they-assume the position illustrated iii .upper end av coneshaped plate or ring 41,

Fig. 7, in which position (the carriers being rotated through 'the connections described) they revolve about thepbottle neck and press the depending portions or legs 20 of thev cap 19 into engagement with the shoulder 21 uponthe bottle neck.e To secure this movement ot' the cap bending levers 3l and their rolls 30, inwardly toward the bottle neck, the presser 18 carries at its which, as the 'downward movement of tht` presser 18 is arrested by tlie-bottle and said presser is caused to yield, engages the noses or inwardly turned upper ends of levers 31 and spreads the upper ends of said levers outwardly and thus moves or swings their lower ends and the bending rolls 30 thereon inwardly toward the bottle vneck and into bending engagement with the depending portions or legs ot' the cap.

One of the ditliculties niet with in the diiiiculties, or eitheigof them, exist, it often 9 happens that in attempting to cap the bottles, many of the bottles are broken, and, even if not broken, it is often impossible to properly cap them. Provision, howevei',is made by the present 'invention tor thel perfeet capping of such in'ipertectly formed bottles of this kind; the bending mechanism of the present invention being .such that, no, matter what the contour or shape of the bottle lie-that is, whether it. be truly circular or oval,--and no iiiat'ter what break or irregularity may occur yin its contour' or shape,-sueh bending mechanism will accommodate itself to the contour or shape of the bottle neck and thus perfectly cap the saine.

vTo this end the member, a'. e., the conical plate 41) for moving the lower ends of the bending levers B1 and rolls l0 inwardly toward the bottle neck and into engagement withthe cap thereon, is mounted loosely upon the rod'13 and presser 18 so that while in engagement with the upper ends 0f said levers it is fiee to turn and also to move or play laterally upon the rod 18, and is furthermore made of springtinet-al so that it. may yield under the pressure of the levers 31. By reason of this construction and ar rangement of the member 41 the levers 31 are not held rigidly by the plate 41 in any [ixed position relatively to the axis of rotationy of their carrier 33 or the axis of the. bottle, but are free at their lower' ends to follow the cont-our or shape of the bottle neck, whatever it may be; the plate 41, by

reason of its looseness and resiliency, accom- 130 modating or adjusting itself to any position move laterally .on the part of the plate 41,-

tly upon the latter, instead of resting direc the upper end of the presser 18, has interposed .betWeen it and said presser` metal plates orvwashers 42, 43, which, like the plate 41, areloosely.- mounted on rod 13 so as to be capable ofA movement or play laterally; theprovision of these plates or Washers overcoming-or preventing any tendency on the -part` of the plate 41 to stick or iam againstthepresser While moving the upper ends of levers 31A outwardly.

Bottlenecks are also: often imperfect in still another particular, namely, 'in the size of their necks. the necks of some'being sometimes larger than the necks of others. In such cases. it sometimes happens that the bottle is broken by the pressure of the presser. To prevent this the presser 18, in the present case, which' is of metal, is slit longitudinally' at several points, as shown at 18a. the result of this longitudinally7 slitting being that the presser is formed into ribs (see particularly Fig. T) which have a slight 1novement"relatively to each. other'and to the body of the presserv so as toaccommodate themselves to any slight variations in the size ofthe bottle necks and thus avoid breakage ot tlre bottle should the presser be brought into engagement with a bottleehav.t ing a`l-a,rger neck than others. formed by\ the slitting at 18a, radiate from a core"('sho\vn b v hatched lines in Figs. and

e T) which integral with the ribs, ithe,c`ore andxribs in other words being formed ot' one piece of metal. This slitting of the presser also is/'of advantage when operating upon bottles having non-circular or oval shapes or contours or irregularities or breaks in their shapes or contours.

It is to bel understood that While the machine head 12, in the present case, is shown movable to and from the bottle support 3', the invention is not to be limited to such an arrangement of machine head and sup`v port, but that the machine head mightbe held stationary and the bottle support arranged so as to move to and from it or vthe l l* machine head and bottle support be arranged so as to both move to and from each other,

without departing from the invention.

IVh'a-t I claim is l. In a bottle capping machine, the combination with a pressing head adapted to engagefa bottle, of a plurality ofcap-beuding devices movable toward and rotatable about the bottle neck, and a member adapted, when the pressing head is in engagement With the, bottle. to move the bending devices toward the bottleneck, said member being so mounted as to have lateral play While so moving said` bendingy devices, substantially as described. i l

2. In a bottle capping machine, the combination Withapressing head adapted to engage a bott-le, of a plurality oflcap-be'nding devices movable toward and rotatable about the bottle neck, and a member adapted., when the pressing head is in engagement with the bottle, to move the bend the bottle neck, said member being of spring metal and so mounted to yield Aand have lateral play while so moving said bending devices, substantially as described..

nation with a pressing head adapted to eugage a bottle, of a plurality of cap-bending vdevices movable toi'ard and rotatable about the bottle neck, adapted, when the pressing head is in engagement with the bottle, to move the bending devices toyvard the bottle neck, said member being so mounted as to have lateral play While so moving said bending devices, sub stantially as described.

4.-. 'In a bottle cappingmachine, the combination with a pressing head adapted to engage a bottle, of a plurality of cap-bending devices movable toward and rotatable about the bottle neck, and a' cone-shaped member adapted, when the pressing head is inengagement with the bottle, to move the bending devices toward the bottle neck, said member being of spring metal and somounted as to yield and have lateral play while so 'mov- -ling said'bending devices, substantially as desoribed.

nation with a pressing head adapted to engage a bottle, ot a plurality of pivotally mounted cap-bending levers movable toward `androtatable about the bottle neck, and a member adapted, when the pressing head is in engagement with4 the bottle, to swing said levers on their pivots toward the bottle neck, said lmember being so mounted as to have lateral play while so moving said levers,

substantially as described.

6. In a bottle capping machine, the combination With a pressing head adapted to e'ngage a bottle, of a plurality of pivotally mounted lcap-bending levers movable toward and rotatable .about the bottle neck, and a member adapted, when the pressing head is in engagement With the bottle, to swing said said member being of spring metaiand so mounted as to yield and have lateral play While so moving said levers, substantially as described'. l

7. In a bottle capping machine, the combination With a pressing head adapted to engagey a bottle,- of a plurality ofpivotally mounted capfbending levers movable toward \`and rotatable about the bottle neck, and a cone -shaped member adapted, when the ing devices towardlevers on their pivots toward the bottleneck,

3. In a bottle capping machine, the combil and a cone-shaped member f 5. In a bottle capping machine, the combipressing head is in engagement with the bottle, to swing said levers on their pivots toward the bottle Ieck, said member being so mounted as to have lateral play while so 'moving said levers, substantially as de` scribed.

8. In a bottle capping machine, the combination with a pressing head adapted to engage a bottle, of a plurality of pivotally mounted cap-bending levers movable toward `and rotatable about-the bottle neck, and a cone-shaped member adapted, when the lpressing head isvin engagement with the bottle, to swing said levers on their pivots toward the bott-le neck, saidmember being of spring metal and loosely mounted so as to yield and have lateral play while so moving said levers, substantially as described.

9. In a bottle capping machine, 'the combination with a pressing head adapted to engage a bottle, of a plurality of pivotally mounted levers bearingcap-bending rollers and movable toward and rotatable about the bottle neck, and a member adapted, whenpivots toward the bottle neck, said member being of spring metal and so mounted as to yield and have lateral play while so moving said levers, substantially as described.

11. In a bottle capping machine, the combination with a pressing head adapted to. engage a bottle, of a plurality of pivotallymounted levers bearing cap-bending rollers y and movable toward and rotatable about the said member being so mounted as t bottle neck, and a cone-shaped member adapted, when the pressing head is in engagement with the bottle, to swing said levers on their pivots toward the bottle neck, have lateral play While so moving 'said levers, substantially as described.

12. In a bottle capping machine, the combination with a pressing head adapted to engage a bottle, of a plurality of pivotallymounted levers bearing cap-bending rollers and movable toward and rotatable about the bottle neck, and a cone-shaped member adapted, when the pressing head is in engagement'with the bottle, to swingl said levers on their pivots toward the bottle neck,

said member being of spring metal and so mounted as to yield and have lateral play ed cone-shaped `lever-actuating member 41 of spring metal, substantially as described.

15. In a bottle capping machine, the combination of 'pressing head 18, rotatable car'- rier 33, `levers 31 pivotally mounted in said carrier and bearing cap-bending vrollersf'BO, and loosely-mounted cone-shaped lever-actuating member 41, substantially as de cribed.

16. Ina bottle capping machine, t e c ombination 'of pressing head 18, rotatable "carrier 33', levers 31 pivotally mounted in said carrier and bearing cap-bending. rollers 30, and loosely-mounted coneshaped lever-actuating member 41 of spring metal, substantially as described.

17. In a bottle capping machine, the combination with a longitudinally-slit pressing head adapted to engageabottle and to be moved endwise thereby,y of a plurality of cap-bending devices movable toward and rotatable about the bottle neck, anda member controlled by "said pressing head and adapted, when the pressing head is moved by a bottle, to move said bending devices inwardly toward eachother and the bottle neck, substantially as described. y

18. In a bottle capping machine', the combination with a longitudinally-slit pressing head adapted to engage a bottle, of a plural- 'ity of cap-bending devices movable toward and rotatable about the bottle neck,and a member adapted, when the pressing head is in ,engagement with a bottle, to move said bending devices toward the bottle neck, said member being so mounted as to have lateral play while so moving said levers, substantially as described. 4

19. In a bottle cappingmachine, the combination with a longitudinally-slit pressing,

head adapted to engage a bottle, of a plurality of cap-bending devices movable toward 1oo i and rotatable labout the bottle neck, and a member adopted, when the pressing head is in engagement with a bottle, to move said- 20. In a bottle capping machine, the combination with a longitudinally-slit pressing head adapted to engage a bottle and to be moved endwise thereby, of a plurality of cap-bending devices movable toward and rotatably about the bottle neck, and a conesh'aped member controlled by said pressing head and adapted, when the pressing head is moved by a bottle, to move said bending devices inward toward each other and the bottle neck, substantially as described.

21. In avbottle capping machine,'the combination with a longitudinally-slit pressing head adapted to engage a bottle, of a plurality' of cap-bending devices movable toward and rotatable about the bottle neck, and -a cone-shaped member adapted, when the pressing head is in engagement with a bottle, to move said bending devices toward the bottle neck, said member being so mounted as to have lateral play while so moving said bending devices, substantially as described.

22. In a bottle capping machine, the combination with a longitudinally-slit pressing.

head adapted to engage a bottle, of a plurality'of cap-bending devices movable toward and rotatable about the bottle neck, and a cone-shaped member adapted. when the pressing head is in engagement with a bottle, to move said bending devices toward the bottle neck, said member being of spring metal and so mounted as to yield and have lateral play while so moving saidbending devices, substantiallyas described.

23.v In a bottle capping machine, the combination with a longitudinally-slit pressing head adapted to engage a bottle and to be moved endwise thereby, of a plurality of pivotally-mounted cap-bending levers movable toward and rotatable about the bottle neck, and a member controlled by said pressing head and adapted, when the pressing head is moved by a bottle, to swing said levers on their pivots inward toward each other and the bottle neck, substantially as described.

24. =In a bottle capping machine. the combination with a longitudinally-slit pressing head adapted to engage a bottle, of a plu-A rality of pivotally mounted cap-bending levers movable toward and rotatable about the bottle neck, and a member adapted, when the. pressing head is in engagement with a bottle, to swing said levers on their pivots toward the bottle neck. said member being so mounted as to have lateral movin scribe 25. In a bottle cappino' machine, the combination with a 'longltudinally-slit pressing head adaptedto engage a-bottle, of a plurality of pivotally-mounted cap-bending levers movable toward and rotatable about the bottle neck, and a member adapted, when the pressing head is in engagement with a bottle, to swing said levers on their pivots said levers, substantially as de,

towardlthe bottle neck, said member being of spring metal and so mounted as to yield and have lateral lay while so moving said levers, substantia y as described.

26. In a bottle capping machine, the combination with a"longitudinallyslit pressing.

head adapted te engage a bottle and to be moved endwise thereby, of a plurality of pivotally-mounted reap-ben ing. levers movableV toward and rotatable about the bottle neck, and a cone-shaped member controlled by said pressing head and adapted, when the gagement with a bottle, to swing said levers on their' pivots toward the bottle neck, said member being so mounted as to have lateral play w ile so moving said levers,'substantially as described.

28. In a bottle cappin machine, the combination with a longitudinally-slit pressing head adapted to engage a bottle, of a plurality of pivotally-mounted cap-bending levers movable toward and rotatable about the bottle neck, and a cone-shaped member adapted, when the pressing head is in engagement with a bottle, to swing said levers on their pivots toward the bottle neck, said member being of spring metal and somounted as to yield and have lateral play while so moving said levers, substantially as described.

29. In a bottle capping machine, the combination of longitudinally-slit pressing head 18, rotatable carrier 33, levers 31 pivotally mounted in said carrier and bearing capbending rollers 30, and loosely-mounted cone-shapedl lever-actuating member 4l, substantiallyY as described.

30. In a bottle capping machine, the combination of longitudinally-slit pressing head 18, rotatable carrier 33, levers 31 pivotally mounted in said carrier and bearing capbending rollers 30, and loosely-mounted cone-shaped lever-actuating member l1 of spring metal, substantially as described.

In testimon whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, in e presence of two subscribing wltnesses.

- ROBERT L. SHRINER. 'NVitnesses A JOHN A. GRAVES, T. F. Kanon. 

